For Immediate Release
May 1, 2014
Browns sign Zac Diles, Tyler Thigpen, Vince Young
BEREA, Ohio -- The Cleveland Browns on Thursday signed linebacker Zac Diles and two quarterbacks, Tyler Thigpen and Vince Young. General Manager Ray Farmer made the announcement.
All three players participated on a tryout basis during the Browns' voluntary minicamp this week.
Diles, a 6-foot, 245-pound veteran entering his eighth NFL season out of Kansas State, spent parts of the past two seasons with the Titans. Tennessee initially signed him as a free agent in May 2012, but a broken leg after six games truncated his first season there. An unrestricted free agent, he signed with the Chiefs and spent 2013 training camp with Kansas City, then re-signed with the Titans and spent eight weeks in Tennessee before the Titans released him in early December.
Houston's seventh-round selection (218th overall) in the 2007 NFL Draft, Diles spent his first four seasons (2007-10) with the Texans before signing as an unrestricted free agent with St. Louis in 2011. Released at the end of 2011 training camp, he spent most of that year in Tampa Bay before finishing the campaign with the Colts.
In seven seasons, Diles has played in 69 games with 31 starts. He has 1.0 sacks, one interception, three forced fumbles and one fumble recovery.
Born in Abilene, Texas, Diles played at Tulare High School in California's Central Valley.
Thigpen, a 6-1, 216-pound signal-caller from Coastal Carolina, is a seventh-year veteran. Selected one slot ahead of Diles in the same 2007 NFL Draft, 217th overall by the Minnesota Vikings, he spent all or parts of his first three NFL seasons (2007-09) with the Chiefs. In 2011, Thigpen started 11 games, the most extensive action of his career, completing 54.8 percent of his passes for 2,608 yards, with 18 TDs and 12 interceptions.
Traded to Miami early in the 2009 season, he played for the Dolphins through 2010, then spent the 2011-12 seasons as a reserve with the Buffalo Bills.
In six NFL campaigns, Thigpen has a 72.5 passer rating. In 29 games, including 12 starts, he's completed 275-of-509 passes for 3,222 yards, 21 TDs and 18 interceptions.
The quarterback is a product of Fairfield Central High School in Winnsboro, S.C.
A 6-5, 229-pound veteran, Young enters his seventh NFL season out of Texas. The third overall selection by Tennessee in the 2006 NFL Draft, Young spent five seasons and was named to two Pro Bowls (after the 2006 and '09 seasons) with the Titans, prior to signing with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2011. He owns a 31-19 (.620) record as a starting quarterback in the NFL, passing for 8,964 yards and 46 touchdowns while rushing for 1,459 yards and 12 scores. Young was named the 2006 AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, and in 2007 led the Titans to a Wild Card berth.
Prior to signing with the Browns, Young competed in training camp and the preseason with the Buffalo Bills and Green Bay Packers in 2012 and 2013, respectively.
While at UT, Young posted a 30-2 career record (.938) as a starting quarterback and claimed the Maxwell Award (nation's top player) and Davey O'Brien Award (nation's top quarterback) in 2005, when he led the Longhorns to a BCS national championship.
Young and Browns quarterbacks coach Dowell Loggains spent five years (2006-2010) together in Tennessee, where Loggains served as the quarterbacks coach/pass game coordinator in 2010. Young also played with Browns fullback Chris Ogbonnaya at Texas.
A native of Houston, Texas, he attended Madison High School.
